Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Final blog

The most valuable part of blogging was getting information of the Internet and then using that information on a paper or in one of my blog. Blogs allow me to organize my ideas and all the things that I want to put into a paper. Seeing what other people put in their blog can help me think of ideas to put in my posts. Having a blog lets us do class work at home. We can continue the work from class at home without losing track of our thoughts. My favorite blog was Athletes as role models because as a big sports fan I find it interesting how athletes react to having so many people looking up to them. What an athlete does on the field and off can affect peoples lives and they need to be aware of that. Using this blog helped me gather ideas and organize my thoughts and I think that using blogs like this will help other classes and could help students and teachers share ideas.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Intro

"I am not a role model," said Charles Barkley in a famous commercial for Nike. "I am not paid to be a role model." He is right. He was paid to do what he did best and that was play basketball. That goes for all athletes. They are payed to play their sport not to be a model citizens. When they accept the role of professional athlete they suddenly become some kids' idol and people want to be like them. But should these people be idolized for using steroids or partying all night at clubs and then getting arrested.The athletes who do things like that should not be. But athletes who spend time at charity events and help victims of hurricanes and forest fires should be idolized. That is what a public figure is supposed act like. They are supposed to set a good example for their fans.People don't look up to athletes for what they do off the field they look up to them for what they do on the field. They are the best athletes in the world and people wish they could do what those athletes can. But the main reason people look up to athletes is because they are very rich and seem to have perfect lives.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

why are they role models

A person should be able to live their life the way they want to without anybody telling them how they should live. If they want to go out and party at clubs they should be able to. They should realize that everything that they do is being followed by the public. They should act however they want without being criticized by people they don't even know, but they are criticized by people they have never met. That doesn't seem fair to them. They just want to make a living and support themselves and their families. They are almost forced to take on the part of being a role model that people look up to even if they don't want to be. So should they be role models?



They break laws and use drugs, or steroids, but people still look up to them. They gamble and spend a lot of money like it is nothing. Are these the people that we want to be like? Are these the people that we want kids to grow up and be? We want to be like them, we don't actually want to be them. We would like to think we wouldn't do those things, but probably would to some extent. Athletes are the way they are because of the way they grew up. A lot of athletes had tough childhoods but overcame them to be where they are now. Some of those athletes are the kind of people that you want your kid to be like. Some of those athletes are the opposite of want tou want your kid to be. Why are they idolized? They are idolized because they can do something that you wish you were able to do.

Off the field

When Mike Vick was arrested for dog fighting the country was shocked. He was one the most famous athletes in the United States. He is now one of the most hated athletes. He had one of the largest fan bases in the NFL and now he has very few supporters. That shows how off the field behavior can destroy a players reputation and career. What an athlete does off the field is more closely followed than ever before. If an athlete gets in trouble it not only affects that athlete it affects the team that he plays for, but it affects the league that they play in. If an athlete gets in trouble with the law in college it can affects his professional career and his life after college.If a player doesn't make dumb mistakes off the field they could have a better career and make more money.


Some athletes have reputation for doing a lot of good off the field. They help people in need and donate a lot of money to charity. A lot of athletes donated money to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and to the people in California after the fires that destroyed so many homes. Some athletes even go these places and spend time helping in person and help get peoples spirits up. Not all athletes are bad people and most of them are very good people who want to use their celebrity for good not just for personal gain. They want to set a good example for the people and kids who look up to them.

Athletes are role models

Athletes are role models whether they like it or not. It is up to them whether they are good role models or bad ones. If they get in trouble on the field or with the law they will probably be viewed as bad role models. What they say on or off the field can contribute to their reputation as a role model. Even if they are bad role models they are still role models. Little kids still look up to him when he is on the field or on the court. But they see what the athletes do off the field and think that if they do it there is nothing wrong with it. Most athletes are good role models because hoe they are viewed off the field is a factor to how they are viewed on the field also.


In a famous Nike commercial Charles Barkley said "I am not a role model, I am not paid to be a role model." He is right. He is not paid to be a role model, he is paid to play basketball. But when he decided he wanted to play basketball he became a public figure and someone that people look up to especially his fans and little kids. Even if Charles Barkley didn't want to be a role model people still idolized him and there really isn't anything he could do about it.